Letter: Americans have right to protect themselves

Monday

Jan 7, 2013 at 11:53 AMJan 7, 2013 at 11:54 AM

Who is responsible for our safety?

To the Editor:

Who is responsible for our safety?

The Militia Act of 1903 was initiated by U.S. Secretary of War Elihu Root following the Spanish American War. H.R. 11654 established the “regular army,” the “organized militia,” henceforth known as the National Guard, and the “unorganized militia.”

H.R. 11654 defined the “unorganized militia” as: “every able-bodied male between the ages of 18 and 45.” It further established that all members of the “unorganized militia” have the absolute personal right and 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms of any measure and type.

Reid v. Covert, 354 U.S. 1 (1957), was a landmark case in which the Supreme Court ruled the U.S. Constitution supersedes any international treaties ratified by the U.S. Senate or president.

Warren v. District of Columbia, where three women sued D.C. for failing to protect them; the D.C. high court exonerated the District and its police by saying it is a “fundamental principle of American law that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any individual citizen.”

I fully support the assertion that gun owners bear the sole burden of safeguarding their weapons and should be held fully accountable. However, as outlined above, the American people have a right (and responsibility) to protect themselves and their property. No executive order, presidential directive, United Nations or NATO agreement or treaty, passed by anyone, can supersede the Constitution’s 2nd Amendment.

Given that federal and state governments do not put the burden of citizen protection on law enforcement, clearly sends a message that we as individual citizens are fully responsible for our safety. We should all work with our state and local governments and local law enforcement to strengthen ourselves and our communities against those who would do us harm.